5 August 2017

ace quaalude - heat death electric

Firstly
(and sadly this is becoming so, so frequent) an apology for the delay in
getting to this album. Sorry ace quaalude, but it is here now. Ok,
with that out of the way - the first time I heard ace quaalude was on the Sweet
Sounds Record Spring 2016 Sampler (our review cleverly linked here)
which is still one of my favourite compilations that I have had the pleasure to review. A brief history of ace quaalude - they are from Nashville, TN and
(according to Facebook) "ace is luke, luke is ace". On their
Bandcamp page, this is repeated many times. I love that sort of
minimalist approach to the amount of information that Luke (and by default, they), not giving away too much about themselves. In the age where everything is so easily accessible on the internet, it is beautiful to find a band that is a mystery. It
is harder when you are trying to review a band, but as a fan it can be a part
of the charm. You are not there for the personality, you are there for
the music. heat death electric was self released on 7th June 2017, so I
am just a little bit behind on this one, let’s find out what it is all about......

01
- [ectoplasm]

The
album starts with the noise of someone getting comfortable and then the sound
of a droning keyboard or amplifier being dragging in from the shadows, wheezing
with all the health of an 80-year-old smoker first thing in the morning.
The noise builds up and spills over the listener, rumbling away until it is
ready to split the ear drum and move onto the first song proper. It is a
good little introduction, like an edited Sunn 0)))) track which is never a bad
thing in my books.

02 - heat electric death

I love the lo-fi quality of the recording for "heat electric death",
it gives it a live edge that is increasingly rare in a pro-tool age. "heat electric death" spills out of the
speakers like a bullet train, full of energy and noise, a hint of UK indie
sensibilities in places and some US punk ideals added to the mix as well.
It is furious, it is passionate and it is brilliantly loud. What a track!

03 - asteroid blue

"asteroid blue" is an incredibly interesting song for me, it
reminds me a lot of early 80's gothic rock in the UK, again with a mixture
of punk sensibilities that make it a hard song to ignore.
There is a fiery passion to the sound that makes it so catchy to these ears.

04 - rolling thunder

The
foot is taking of the hyperdrive peddle here, as "rolling thunder"
unleashes an atmospheric song onto the listener. It is simple, it has a
gentle spirit in comparison to other songs on this release. It sort of feels
like you are hearing it via a dream, as if the lo-fi recording is hiding some
of the sound and making it inaccessible to people. I think it is a great
song, it shows that ace quaalude is more than just flat out noise!

05
- white lighters

"white
lighters" is a surprising song, a very surprising number indeed.
It is an acoustic number, guitars being gently strummed and other strings plus
the bass join the sound which builds up to an acoustic wall of sound that gradually raises the volume over a prolonged period, so you are not aware of the increase of volume until the
music stops. You cannot teach something like this, it only comes via
talent and there is a lot of talent on show on this song.

06
- pure haunt

Not gonna lie, I could not get into this song. The
track is lynched together on a loop, spinning around which feels like you are spinning around
on a waltzer. It is slightly off centre, it does not have a natural rise
& fall that makes it hard to listen to for me (I was very ill on a waltzer
once). But it is well performed, just one that sort of triggers strange
feels in me.

07 - carolina reaper

This instrumental song sounds like a cross between The Breeders, The Beach Boys
and Mogwai, it is a waterfall of noise and sound that have a powerful
impact! I adore this song, the energy coming from it is beautiful and it
is without a shadow of a doubt the best song on offer here. I think that
you need to hear it now, what are you waiting for????

08 - casketmouth

In comparison, "casketmouth" is a dark beast with a hardcore punk attitude at its core. It has angular riffs, droning noise and explosive
drums that sound like they will smash through the fuzzy wall of sound. It
is over far too soon for me, but it is still a brilliant number and it is
sometimes best to leave people wanting more.

09 - sunstepper

This is a strange one, even by the standards of heat death electric, but
not in a bad way. It has hints of Frank Black if he was fronting the
Eels, with a frantic drumbeat that is at odds with the acoustic drone that is
being produced by the guitars and it all comes together with bizarre
results. I love the way it sounds, I love the way it falls apart and disintegrates
at the end, but it is still a difficult one to process in some ways.

10 - antioch deathkiller

The penultimate song has a "death to indie disco" feeling to it, a
reverb downbeat sound that is moodier than a teenager having a tantrum.
It is a dark piece, again a little too short for my taste, but it is still a
brilliant number.

11 - evp

Ending this album is the song "evp", this is an eight-minute beast of in three
parts. It starts off with a high octave noise/punk opening that lasts for
four minutes, then it is an acoustic section as if they have shifted down a
gear if only to catch their breath. Then, with a beautiful ease, it is
back on the attack and it makes for a great ending to this album. The
song is give time to grown, it unfolds naturally and it does not feel
rushed. It is a great way to end the album!

Lo-fi music is such a wonderful art form, one that is often frowned upon which
is such a shame as it has a lot to offer. heat death electric is a
shining example of everything that is right with the genre, it has a
personality that transcends to a higher level. Some people would use
words like Bohemian and avant-garde; for me it is just a quality Lo-fi, Noise Rock
release that has a charm which cannot be denied. When they are on point,
they make some fantastic noise! I hope that they release further records
and I would like to apologise for the delay in reviewing this. Do
yourself (and ace quaalude) a favour, check this out as it will not disappoint
you!

8 out of ten - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my time, money and heart

Welcome to the final round-up review of 2017! Similar to the Round-Up posts I put up earlier in the year, I’m going to be posting some bull...

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Album scoring system

0 - This is proof there is no deity1 - You're really are touching the bottom of the barrel with this one2 - If only there was some quality control3 - It could have been a bit better4 - Well it's alright, but still......5 -Not for everyone but played well6 - Now I see where you were going, but it's not quite there7 - This is good and well worth a check8 - Oh, now you have my attention and maybe my money, time and heart9 - Almost perfect....Almost10 - This is proof there is a deity(For albums that are too crazy to be marked)Crazy Cat symbol - This album cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens

Singles/EP Marking System

0 - Only to be listened to by people bless with the gift of being deaf1 - Not so much on the bad that it is bottom of the barrel, but it can see the stuff down there2 - Not bad, not good - so average it is Zen3 - Decent, getting there4 - This is really good, well worth checking out5 - I wish I had extra ears to love this more(For Singles/EPs that are too crazy to mark)Crazy Cat symbol - This release cannot be marked, so here is a box of kittens